Bibenzyl or diphenylethane is a valuable chemical intermediary. Likewise, isomers of stilbene are valuable chemical intermediaries, as well as having many other uses. More importantly, both bibenzyl and stilbene can be readily converted to styrene by known methods and styrene is a valuable monomer for the production of polymers. Numerous processes are known for the production of bibenzyl, such as treatment of benzyl chloride with metallic sodium, the action of benzyl chloride on benzyl magnesium chloride, etc. However, the most common method is the conversion of toluene to bibenzyl and stilbene isomers utilizing reducible metal oxide catalysts. Stilbene can also be produced by known methods, such as passing toluene over hot lead oxide. However, in all cases, the conversion and selectivity to bibenzyl and stilbene products is relatively low and improvement thereof is highly desirable.
Acrylonitrile is also a valuable chemical which is utilized in extremely large volumes for a wide variety of uses, including the production of acrylic polymers. Processes for the production of acrylonitrile include the addition of hydrogen cyanide to acetylene with cuprous chloride, the catalytic conversion of acrylonitrile plus formaldehyde, the treatment of propylene, oxygen and ammonia with phosphomolybdate or a uranium-based compound, and the dehydration of cyanohydrin.
Another process for the production of acrylonitrile is the thermal or noncatalytic conversion of acetonitrile to acrylonitrile. This method of conversion, however, produces numerous unwanted products, particularly oxygenated products, which are difficult to remove from the desired products. In addition, conversion and selectivity are also comparatively low.
More recently, novel contact materials have been discovered which increase the conversion and selectivity to desired products in methods for the oxidative conversion of feed organic compounds to product organic compounds. While this discussion and the discussions hereinafter, at times, refer to certain components of these contact materials as "base materials" and others as "promoters", it is to be understood that these designations are made as a matter of convenience in identification, rather than by way of function. In all instances, the base materials, as well as the promoters, are active components of the contact material and the base materials are not inert "bases" or "carriers", as the designation sometimes indicates or implies.
Commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 713,653, 713,756 and 713,674, all filed on Mar. 19, 1985, relate to the use of Group IIA materials as base materials. Likewise, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 713,673, filed Mar. 19, 1985, relates to zinc as a base material. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 742,340, filed June 7, 1985, refers to titanium as a base material. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 742,337, filed June 7, 1985, refers to Lanthanum Series metals as base materials. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 945,129, filed Dec. 22, 1986 relates to certain combinations of these base materials. Each of these base materials is preferably promoted with a Group IA metal promoter. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 742,339, filed June 7, 1985 (now U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,057), relates to contact materials comprising cobalt, a metal selected from the group consisting of zirconium, zinc, nickel, indium, lead and bismuth, phosphorous, at least one Group IA metal and oxygen. Application Ser. No. 742,338, filed June 7, 1985, relates to the use of Group IA and/or Group IIA metal phosphates as contact materials. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 945,123, filed Dec. 22, 1986, relates to the use of a contact material comprising cobalt, at least one Group IA metal, silica and oxygen. All of the above-mentioned contact materials can also be further enhanced by the addition of a halogen thereto. In accordance with U.S. patent application 742,335, filed June 7, 1985, the halogen can be supplied by at least intervally adding the halogen or a halogen precursor to the reaction zone. U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 947,235, filed Dec. 29, 1986, adds water to the feed in these techniques. The entire contents of each of these patent applications and patents are incorporated herein by reference.